This letter to the editor by Mary Jane T. Pearson appeared in the Honolulu Advertiser on May 29, 2005.

A May 24 commentary in The Advertiser regarding the No Child Left Behind Act contains some points that themselves need to be "revamped"—or at least rebutted ("Failing No Child act must be revamped").

Point 1: The law is working—the vast majority of states are hard at work closing the achievement gap for poor children, children learning English and children with special needs.

Point 2: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has pledged to take a common-sense approach to the implementation of No Child Left Behind, allowing flexibility where possible for states that show academic progress and abide by the law.

Point 3: The U.S. Department of Education's FY 2006 budget provides $56 billion in federal education funding—an increase of 33 percent since the president took office. Hawai'i's share is 51.4 percent greater. Despite all the competing priorities for our tax dollars—including strengthening our economy and defending our nation—the president's strong commitment to education continues.

What truly needed to be revamped was a broken education system that shuffled children from grade to grade, even when they were not learning the basics. Today, millions of teachers and students in classrooms across America are getting it done. Put aside the misconceptions and misinformation, and you'll see that No Child Left Behind is part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Mary Jane T. Pearson
Secretary's Region IX Representative
U.S. Department of Education